o business man, farmer or politician who has ever
successfully accomplished any undertaking by adopting the idea most
prominent in this plank, which is declaring bimetallism to be right,
and then saying that we cannot and will not do anything to procure it
if the leading commercial nations of the world do not consent to it.

Let us examine this plank in detail, and see if the general proposition
of waiting for our common enemy to assist us in helping ourselves is
not ridiculous.

We notice that the party in drawing up this plank, says: "That they
pledge themselves to promote bimetallism by agreement;" then in the
next clause, say, "and until such an agreement can be obtained, the
existing gold standard must be preserved."

Let me illustrate: Suppose this gentleman on my right having a horse
fairly worth on the market $100, should say to the young man on my left
that he desired to sell the animal. If the young man wished to buy he
would ask the price of the horse. I ask, what would the owner receive
for his steed, if he should reply, "Well, I ask $100, but if you will
not give that much, I will take $25."

Now, my gold standard friends, do you not know that the purchaser would
take advantage of the seller and only give $25 for the horse.

When the party at St. Louis pledged themselves to promote international
bimetallism, and then asserted, "until such an agreement can be
obtained the existing gold standard must be preserved," they in effect,
like the man with the horse, put their business in the other fellow's
hands; for was not that clause simply another way of saying to the
foreigner, if you will not give us bimetallism we will take the gold
standard, although we prefer the bimetallic standard?

Fellow citizens, I ask you in the name of American independence, does
it not appear as though there was a colored gentleman somewhere in the
background? Let us examine further, and we will see that the colored
man wears a British coat of arms, and has his American office on
Williams street, New York city.

We will make no mistakes in our conclusion if we understand the facts,
and to more clearly appreciate the full international effect, of the
plank under examination, let us draw another picture from human nature.
We will imagine you people of Jacksonville to be a little sporty, and
that you have in your midst a prize fighter of whom you are quite
proud; we will suppose that Springfield has a character of the same
kind